A twisting apparatus comprises a yarn-package holder which is rotatably supported on a rotatable flyer. The flyer itself is supported on a spindle having a whorl so that it can be rotated at high speed. The yarn-package holder is, however, held nonrotatably, often by magnets arranged in the yarn holder and in the wall of the surrounding structure. One or more yarns are pulled off one or more packages on the yarn holder upwardly and then passed downwardly through the spindle of the device. The yarn is then passed radially outwardly through the rotating flyer and is pulled upwardly to a takeup device including an eye located above the arrangement generally on the rotation axis for the flyer. Thus, the thread as it is pulled up around the yarn package forms a so-called balloon, as it moves with such high speed that it appears to be a solid object (see German Auslegeschrift DT-AS 1924508 which corresponds to U.S. Pat. No. 3,648,449.
Since the yarn packages are standing still and the flyer is rotating the yarn or yarns pulled off the packages on the holder are twisted together so as to form a strong thread.
As long as relatively light yarns are used the above-described balloon stands free of the inner walls of the structure surrounding the yarn-package holder, or at most only touches these walls. When, however, relatively heavy yarn is being twisted the centrifugal force tends to pull it more strongly toward the wall so that the balloon, if the yarn is twisted at too high a speed, rubs on the wall of the structure surrounding the yarn holder. Such rubbing is very disadvantageous in that it can cause premature wear and breakage of the yarn as it is being spun. Thus it is normal practice in such devices to drive the flyer much more slowly when it is used to twist heavy yarns than when it is used to twist lighter yarns. This lower speed reduces the centrifugal force effective on the yarn but also considerably reduces down production speed.